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In the beginning of February 1774, I was seiz’d with a Rheumatism
in my shoulders attended with a great thirst want of Rest & appetite, for
which I drank a sufficiency of diluting & sudorific Liquors for several Days
which sweated me plentyfully at times without affording me any releif, for the
Pain mounted from my arms & shoulders up the Muscles of my neck & attack’d
my throat temples & eyes with great violence – After having past six days
without rest or food, I sent for a neighbouring surgeon who found I had got a
putrid sore throat pretty far advanced, & order’d the Bark in port wine &
a strengthening Diet: in consequence of this Gentlemans prescription my
throat resumed its natural Colour & the pains abated, but I still had a weight on my
eyes, my palate continued painfull & relax’d, my neck stiff, & I felt a constant
soreness all over the scalp of my head. These pains encreased about six in the
Evening attended with heat thirst & feverishness & left me about four in the
Morning after which my pulse was very low – The Gentleman who attended me
look’d upon this slow fever as a Consequence of my putrid Disorder & directed me
to live well & to take four times a Day two ounces of saline mixture, with two
Tea spoonsfull of Huxham by means of which I was greatly releiv’d & recover’d
my appetite: the pains (except a little soreness in my scalp) left my head & fix’d
on my Arms & Legs, but upon giving over taking Medecines return’d more to my
head & Nose.

Some Days before I was seiz’d with this indisposition a small blind boil appear’d
on my forehead & a week after a small sore broke out on the foreskin of my
penis, & also a number of angry itching pimples on the Scrotum which run
into scabbs & some scabbs form’d on the Crown of my head under the Hair &
latterly a sore in my Mouth, in the inside of my underside Gums. ---

The above state of my case I laid before Mr: Adair ¹ on the 20th of March 1774,
acquainting him that the sore on my Penis had disappear’d of itself in a week, that
those on my scrotum had almost disappear’d, that those on my head still remain’d,
that I had severe pains in my head & shins, that three months before my
sickness I had had a sore on my penis which had gone off by an application of
Calomel, for which by way of precaution one ounce of Mercurial ointment had
been rubb’d in in Eight Days, & that since that time my hair had come
out very much & that notwithstanding a very regular & active Life, my appetite
& spirits had faild me exceedingly.

Mr: Adair was of opinion that I had a venereal taint from the symptoms
that remain’d after the Putrid Disorder, & order’d me into the Hot bath, after which
on the 21st 22d & 23d of March I rubb’d in each night a Dram of Mercurial oint¬
ment, which almost entirely banish’d the Pains in my Shins Muscles, Scalp
& Nose & procured me sound sleep & a better Appetite – On April 4th I had rubb’d in
one ounce & begun to spit, after that I continued rubbing in at the rate of half a Dram
each night (with some intervals when the salivation increased) living upon
soops & vegetables & Large Quantitys of barley water untill the 20.th. of May, having
had for seven weeks a very free perspiration & a feeling of Mercury always in
my Mouth – The Quantity I had rubb’d in, in all , was three Ounces. –
I then went into Country Quarters, thoroughly cured in Mr: Adairs opinion, who
however directed me to drink sarsaparilla for a month, which I neglected to
do. – I had not been a week in the country before a sore appear’d on my
Penis, which went away in a fortnight upon being wash’d with calomel & water,
& since that time I have had no venereal appearances, enjoying in the summer
1774, as good a state of health as a constitution much hurt in the west Indies had
any right to hope for – but in Octr: 1774, after having rashly gone into the cold bath

But a fortnight ago (↑on Sunday se'ennight↑), having eat a Quantity of Mushrooms to Dinner, I was
seiz’d with a sickness at Stomach & violent purging in the Evening, which lasted
untill nine next Morning; as Nothing had come up, I took a vomit in the
morning which notwithstanding the continuance & violence of the Purging, brought
up the Mushrooms & other indigested articles perfectly entire, & releiv’d me.

Next day I had no complaint but a fullness & soreness up in my Mouth
& a blister on my tongue which the Doctor saw. – I have since however
been troubled with a head ake sore throat & Pains in my Shins which have
these two nights kept me from sleep, & yesterday morning upon looking into
my Mouth I discoverd that my palate was inflamed & down, & also the
appearance of ulcers in my throat. I had happend to have taken a Doze
of salts yesterday morning, but upon this discovery I took bark yesterday
& to day to the quantity of about an ounce & a half – but I am much
affraid that the sore throat is not a Putrid one - yet there are no
symptoms below